St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-04-29
"BRlGn YOUNG,S SAY.
A Characteristic Letter Addressed 10
Joe ScalIen.

Chief StetSon, of the fire department, was
Wednesday evening asked if he cared
to reply to Joe Scalien's communi-
cation in yesterdays Tribune, and
said that he did not desire to be led
into a newspaper controversy. Whenever
charges were made to the council committee
on fire department he would be found ready
TO meet them. II. NJ. Young, the veteran fire.
man and the inventor of the Paragon heater,
has the following to say in regard to the at
tack upon himself and the chief:
To the Editor of the Globe.
My attention was called to an article in the
Tribune of to-day entitled "Scallen's Say" and
would ask for leave TO say few words in reply
The Paragon heater. which is my invention, has
been i'll constant in the fire department of
this and many other cities since 1898, and is still
in operation in the principal cities of the United
States and Canada. Some time after its adoption
by the chief of the Minneapolis fire department
my attention, was called by him (the chief) to q
complaint from Mr.. Scallen TO the effect that the
heater was running the hues OF steamer No. l.
which engine, as also were engines Nos and L.
was furnished with steel fues. L much con-
cerned in regard to the matter, and at
once took steps to discover the true cause
by consulting competent authority. The result
was as follows: have in my possession letters
and samples of steel tubes, fl les and boiler lates
from leading manufacturers of the United states
IN the same condition us those taken from the
steamers named. refer by permission to Fire
Warden c. s. Petrie. of Chicago, who is also
perlutcnuent OIL the IRE department. repair SnOp
and an engineer o. many years standing in that
department His official letter states that he had
the same trouble, and placed three sets of new
steel flues IN one engine inside of one year, and
then abandoned them for copper. and has had no
trouble since. Chris Ahrens, president of the
Ahrens Engine company, of Cincinnati o., to
whom referred the matter, said: I'VE cannot
use steel as it pits and is not reliable, and
so have abandoned it.' Mr. Ahrens also said
that any man who advanced the idea
that the damage was caused by the Paragon or
any other heater was not worthy OF the time
wasted in listening to him. The La France En-
CINE company, of Elmira, n. Y, furnished me
samples OF boiler plate and crown sheets from
steamers in as bad or worse condition than any
In this city, and said that they had taken out half
carload of it from boilers repaired by them Of
all makes where steel was used. The chief of
Battle Creek, Mich, fire department furnished me
a set of tubes of which now have sample, that
were destroyed in less than two years in en-
CINE that never had a heater of any kind until
alter the new tubes were put in. The same en-
gine is now using Paragon heater. Now. let me
come nearer home. refer to Aid. Collins, of this
city. inspector of boilers for the Hartford COM
pany, of Hartford, Conn.,, considered to be one of
the most expert boiler inspectors in
the United States, who has samples
from stationary boilers from all parts of the state.
In many of these the steel shells and tub es in
a worse condition than any from this fire depart
ment / also refer to John Kelly, of the firm of
F. S. Martin g. Co., of this city. who has had q
like experience with the rest; also John Camp
BELL for some years foreman for NJ. w. Glenn, OF
hlnnedpOliS. MI. CampDell can tell OF u Doller
which showed the same trouble in SIX weeks
run. The Paragon heater was exhibited in Provi-
dence K. l.. at the national convention OF chief
engineers, and received special mention and
recommendation from that body, and is so pub
Hshed in the.r annual report of last year as fol-
lows:
THE Paragon heater for steam fire engines, H.
M.Young inventor Then follows description of
the heater and Its operation, fuel, etc, and fin
lshes as follows: Your committee are, therefore,
pleased, from personal observation and the recon-
mends OF many others, to commend them very
highly If this is not enough to satisfy all in
quiry in regard to the Paragon heater and the
trumped up charges against it. There is more in
waiting, the Paragon Heater company will
deposit in the hand of the mayor
of this city or any other responsible party the
GLOBE may name, 500 for each and every case
damage to fues, shells or crown sheets on any
steam fire engine or boiler to which it is attached.
the same to go to any char table purpose named
by the city council. In conclusion will say Mr.
Scallen kept the fact that he was trying tc find
cause of complaint against the heater so quiet
analysis made (Which does not mention any
cause) before 1 ever heard of it. If he had the
interest of the department in view,
why did he not let have q
chance, and Ent ineer futile, who
Is Scalens senior, of No. steam, also to look it
up. He states that he holds certificate OF chief
engineer issued by the state board of inspectors
So does Eng ineer futile and so do OF the same
grade as himself, but this still hunt and
, It has every appearance that the man at the
wrong end OF the gun got the benefit of the
charge. Mr.. Scallen may be exceptionally
smart man-no doubt he is-still history tells OF
but one real God, and his last name was not
Scallen. HENRY NJ. YOUNG,
Ex-Engineer Minneapolis Fire Department
Minneapolis, April 81.